Things Fall Apart
by fruitshop
Summary: "Evie stared up at the Dark Mark, which was now illuminating the whole forest, a strange feeling taking control of her. This was a nightmare she would soon be waking up from – there was no way You-Know-Who could've returned after all this time." When things begin to fall apart, Evie Diggory must choose between love and revenge as she fights alongside the Golden Trio.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm finally back with a new story (which doesn't mean I have forgotten about my other one haha)! Thanks to tumblr, I've been somewhat obsessed with Colin Creevey lately and I think he deserves some much needed love, don't you agree? This story will be kinda slow-burn(ish), so bear with me, please. Harry will also have a much bigger role in the later chapters, but let's keep it at that for the time being.**

 **DISCLAIMER: I only own my OCs. Any characters and places you _do_ recognise belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The Sorting Ceremony**

"You know, I bet aunt Cecil will cut you out of her will if you get sorted into Slytherin."

Evie Diggory's bright grey eyes looked up from the breakfast she had barely touched so far to stare indignantly into her brother's eyes, which had the exact same shape and colour like her own. Cedric smirked and leaned back on his rear chair legs, one arm resting on its back while the other snatched a sliced tomato from Evie's plate.

"Got you!" he laughed and stole another tomato while Evie's frown deepened and she scowled at her older brother.

"That's not even funny and you know it," Evie snapped and straightened up in her chair. "Besides, mum and dad both got sorted into Ravenclaw back in the day, so I probably will be, too."

"Well, _I_ didn't," Cedric said and shrugged, but his eyes were shining brightly when he turned his head to look at Evie, "so anything's possible."

Evie opened her mouth to retort, but their mother rushed into the kitchen at the exact same moment to put the apron she had been wearing back into one of the drawers near the sink. She had auburn hair that barely touched her shoulders and the same bright grey eyes as the ones that were now looking at her with undivided attention. Evie had inherited her mother's hair colour, though she kept her hair slightly longer than her mother. Cedric, on the other hand, was sporting the same dark brown hair and tall figure like their father, Amos. Evie was quite short for her age, and often looked at her brother's height with envy.

"Stop bickering, you two," Mrs Diggory chided the siblings and began to clear the table, obviously ignoring that Evie was too nervous to ingest more than a glass of orange juice. "And Cedric, four to the floor! Your father is already waiting outside with the luggage."

Cedric rolled his eyes and let his chair fall back on to all four legs with a loud bang. He got up and whispered a last "Slytherin" over his shoulder before he left the kitchen with a bright grin to join their father outside.

"Don't worry, love," said Mrs Diggory and smiled at Evie with warm eyes. "It won't matter to us which house you'll be sorted into."

"It matters to _dad_ ," Evie sighed and got up to help her mother with the rest of the dishes.

She had been both worried and excited ever since her letter from Hogwarts had arrived back in May. Her parents and Cedric had been delighted to hear that she'd be attending Hogwarts as well, and Cedric had already placed his bet that Evie would be sorted into Hufflepuff as well even though he often teased her about getting sorted into Slytherin.

"I know, mum and dad were Ravenclaws, but I see much more Hufflepuff traits in you – loyal and honest," Cedric had explained on her eleventh birthday, followed by a chuckled "though, you're not very patient, are you?", for which Evie had softly pinched his arm. Indeed, she wasn't a patient person, unlike her mother and brother.

Even though they were born four years apart and were often bickering with one another, Evie and Cedric had been very close ever since Evie's birth. Cedric was a proud older brother and fiercely protective of his sister, and he had let Evie in on so many Hogwarts facts and secrets over the years that Evie felt as if she'd already been to the school herself. However, although Cedric was usually quite impartial, he couldn't hide his dislike for the Slytherins – a dislike which he strongly shared with their father.

"In my opinion, it's no wonder that You-Know-Who's followers have all been in Slytherin, these bloody pure-blood fanatics," Amos Diggory had grumbled one day while reading the _Daily Prophet_ to which Cedric had just nodded, while their mother had added a "Amos, shush!". Evie had just looked at her father with big eyes and bit her lip when she thought about what her father would say if she ever returned home with a green scarf wrapped around her neck. In the end, she knew it wasn't _that_ big of a deal, but still ...

"Come on, love, we have to hurry."

Mrs Diggory broke Evie's train of thought when she began to hustle her out of the kitchen and into the entrance hall where Cedric was already tying his shoes.

"What's up with the frown, Evie? You should be excited!" Mr Diggory beamed at his daughter as he stepped back inside to grab his jacket. "You're going to have the time of your life at Hogwarts."

"Evie's worried that she'll get sorted into Slytherin," said Cedric nonchalantly, winking at Evie. "And that she won't make any friends, though I bet she will."

"Nonsense!" their father bellowed and hugged Evie to his side. "I heard Arthur Weasley's youngest child is attending her first year as well. What's her name again, darling?" he added and looked at his wife.

"Ginevra, I believe," said Mrs Diggory. She kissed both Cedric and Evie on the cheek, and then ushered them all out the door.

Evie turned around and looked at their house one last time. All her life she'd been living in Ottery St Catchpole, and even though it was only a small town, nothing special, she'd probably fiercely miss it.

* * *

"You really don't want to sit with us?" Cedric asked one last time after they'd boarded the Hogwarts Express and Evie had settled into an empty compartment, all by herself. Cedric's friends had already spotted him on the platform and were now urging him to join them in their compartment. One of Cedric's friends, a boy with a buzz cut and sharp features, was ogling Evie behind her brother's back.

"No, it's alright," said Evie, waving her hand. "Besides, I don't want to sit with your fangirls anyway."

She smirked at her brother, and Cedric just laughed and ruffled her soft hair.

"Okay," he shrugged and stepped out of the compartment, "but you're free to join us, in case you change your mind."

Evie just waved at Cedric and he left, leaving the door to her compartment wide open.

So this was it. Evie's time at Hogwarts was only a stone's throw away, and she felt excitement bubble up inside her. She stared out the window and at the landscape that had begun to rush by, and promptly decided that the good weather was a good sign. Evie closed her eyes and leaned back in her seat, but a loud bang outside her compartment startled her and she got up to take a peek down the corridor.

However, before Evie had even reached the compartment door, two redheads had run past her compartment, laughing shrilly. Someone else cursed loudly, and Evie wrinkled her nose as she suddenly recognised the unmistakeable smell of a dungbomb. Though, before she had the chance to shut the door, another redhead has pushed past her _into_ the compartment, coughing loudly.

"I'm SO sorry!" a female voice exclaimed as Evie slammed the door shut and turned around with a frown. A girl had slumped down into the seat Evie had previously occupied, looking up at Evie with bright brown eyes and an apologetic expression.

"My brothers wanted to test their new dungbombs, but I told them not to–," she stopped abruptly and extended her small hand, smiling shyly up at Evie. "I'm Ginny Weasley, by the way. First year."

Evie raised one eyebrow but smiled softly when she shook Ginny's hand and sat down across from the redhead. She remembered her father's words that a certain Ginevra Weasley would be attending Hogwarts as well.

"Evie Diggory," she said and slightly leaned forward. "I'm so glad to have met you or I would've been forced to sit with my brother and his friends." She had a twinkle in her eyes that told Ginny she probably wouldn't have minded _that_ much to sit with her brother.

"So, you have an older brother as well?" Ginny concluded, looking at Evie with interest.

"Yes, he's already in his fourth year," Evie told Ginny. "What about your brothers?"

"Oh, I have six older brothers," Ginny said and laughed at Evie's surprised expression. As their fathers both worked for the Ministry, her father had talked about the Weasleys before, but he had never said much about their children.

"Two of my brothers have already graduated," Ginny continued, "the rest of them are all in Gryffindor. I'm so glad to finally be at Hogwarts as well."

The two girls continued to talk about their families and their upcoming time at Hogwarts while the sun rose high in the sky and the landscape continued to rush by. Around noon, a plumb witch with a food trolley stopped at their compartment, and Evie and Ginny promptly decided to buy some Chocolate Frogs and a handful of Cauldron Cakes. Evie was immensely glad to have met Ginny so soon or her first ride on the Hogwarts Express would've been pretty dull. She not only found out that Ginny had quite a sweet tooth, too, but that she also was a secret fan of the Holyhead Harpies, something Ginny would never admit in front of her brothers who all supported the Chudley Cannons.

"Cedric has always been a fan of Barnton cause of dad," Evie shrugged, nibbling on her Chocolate Frog. "We've been to a few games so far, but Barnton could never win me over." She smiled.

Ginny grabbed another Cauldron Cake and was about to say something when the compartment door opened again and a sudden flash went off, blinding both girls.

"Bloody hell!" Evie exclaimed and rubbed her eyes, seeing stars.

She darkly glared at the young boy who had so suddenly entered and, to her great astonishment and irritation, had taken a picture of the two girls without their permission. Evie's scowl didn't seem to scare the boy off at all, though, and he beamed at them with big eyes, clutching an old camera. He had mousy brown hair and seemed to be quite short for his age.

"What," Evie began and got up, "do you think you're doing?"

"Taking photos!" the boy answered excitedly and fully stepped into the compartment, ignoring the fact that Evie's question had been rhetorical. He couldn't have been taller than 5'3" as Evie was only slightly shorter than him.

"I can see _that_ ," the auburn-haired girl huffed, pointing at the boy's camera. "The question is why do you suddenly come in here, taking photos of _us_?"

Evie could hear Ginny quietly snickering behind her.

"I have to capture every moment for my parents," the boy explained, still smiling down at Evie while he began to ramble. "You see, they're non-magical and were very excited when they heard about me being a wizard. Well, I was pretty excited, too. I never knew all the odd stuff I could do was magic till I got the letter from Hogwarts. Besides, your smile looked pretty and I wanted to capture that."

Evie stared at the mousy-haired boy and felt a blush creep onto her cheeks, though he just looked around the compartment as if he hadn't just complimented a complete stranger. Ginny's snickering grew louder when she saw Evie's red cheeks, the boy being totally oblivious to the situation.

"W-well," Evie stuttered and jabbed a finger into the boy's chest. "You shouldn't just take pictures of others without their permission. That's quite rude."

"Oh," the boy just said and his bright smile faded slowly. For a second, Evie felt guilty for putting a damper on the boy's good mood, but the feeling quickly faded when the boy raised his camera again and took a picture of Evie's very surprised and close face.

"Didn't you just hear a word of what I've said?" she exclaimed, putting one hand in front of her face while the other pushed the boy's camera aside. "No photos!"

Ginny and the boy just laughed and Evie was sure that the colour of her face was now rivalling Ginny's hair.

"I will see you later," the boy said excitedly and awkwardly waved when he practically bounced out of the compartment, tightly clutching his camera to his chest. "I still have to take a picture of Harry. Harry Potter!"

Evie just turned around and stared at a laughing Ginny, disbelief written all over her still blushing face.

* * *

Thanks to Cedric's tales about Hogwarts, Evie had already painted a picture of the castle in her mind which, now that she finally had the chance to stare at the castle perched atop a high mountain, hadn't even come close to reality. Its windows were sparkling in the starry sky while the fleet of little boats they were sitting in moved across the great black lake. A girl with straggly, dirty blonde hair was sitting in front of Evie, her hair almost glowing in the moonlight. Much to Evie's annoyance, though, Ginny had been put into one of the boats right next to hers while the boy with the camera had situated himself right behind Evie, and he was gasping and oohing the whole time.

"Isn't it wonderful?" he gasped excitedly as they sailed nearer to the cliff on which the castle stood. Evie decided not to answer.

After a while, they reached a kind of underground harbour and walked up a flight of stone steps after they'd disembarked, and Evie was glad to be reunited with Ginny as they began whispering about the beautiful sight that was Hogwarts. Hagrid, the gamekeeper at Hogwarts and the tallest man Evie had ever seen, and the other students crowded around a huge, oak front door which swung open at once after Hagrid's knock and revealed a tall, black-haired witch in emerald-green robes with a very stern face.

"This year's firs'-years, Professor McGonagall," said Hagrid, and the witch nodded and let them into an Entrance Hall as big as Evie's whole house. A look of amazement was written on everyone's face as they looked around the hall at the marble staircase and the ceiling, which they could barely make out.

Professor McGonagall ushered them all into a small chamber where they all bumped into one another and Evie felt the familiar feeling of fear and excitement as she looked up at the professor.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," she said. "The start-of-term banquet will begin shortly, but before you take your seats in the Great Hall, you will be sorted into your houses. The Sorting is a very important ceremony because, while you are here, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts. You will have classes with the rest of your house, sleep in your house dormitory and spend free time in your house common room. The four houses are called–"

While Professor McGonagall told them all about the four houses, Evie took an anxious look around while she worried at her lip. There were about 40 students cramped into the small chamber and she wondered how long the ceremony would take. Would she have to answer questions in front of the whole school? Would she have to perform magic already? Cedric had never really told her anything about the sorting ceremony, neither had their parents.

"Now, if you would please form a line and follow me," Professor McGonagall suddenly said, interrupting Evie's train of thought. She got in line behind Ginny and followed the professor back into the hall and through a pair of double doors into the Great Hall, where the other students and teachers were already waiting. Evie swallowed as she took a quick look around, and suddenly she espied Cedric's brown shock of hair as he was giving her the thumbs up. He was sitting amongst the other Hufflepuffs, golden plates and goblets in front of him. Professor McGonagall led them up to the table at the top of the Hall where the teachers were sitting and they came to a halt, facing the other students. All eyes were on the first-years now.

Professor McGonagall turned and placed a stool in front of the first-years on which she put a pointed wizard's hat. Evie stared at the hat and then it suddenly twitched, and it began to sing as a rip near the brim opened wide. The hat recited an introductory song, but before Evie had the chance to get lost in its melody, the hat had finished and the whole Hall burst into applause.

Professor McGonagall stepped forward again, holding a long roll of parchment. She looked at them sternly, but not unfriendly.

"When I call your name, you will put on the hat and sit on the stool to be sorted," she said. "Avery, Matilda!"

A plumb girl with black hair shuffled out of line, put on the hat and sat down onto the wooden chair. After a moment's pause the rip near the brim opened again and the hat shouted: "SLYTHERIN!"

The table second from the right clapped and cheered as Matilda took off the hat and walked over to the Slytherins. Evie's hands had begun to shake.

"Brady, Ethan!"

"RAVENCLAW!" the hat shouted this time, and it was time for the table second from the left to clap this time. "Cambron, Susan" then became another Slytherin.

"Creevey, Colin!" Professor McGonagall called, and the mousy-haired boy with the camera stumbled forward, slightly bumping into Evie on his way to put on the sorting hat.

 _Colin_ , Evie thought as she narrowed her eyes at the boy whose head got completely swallowed by the sorting hat. She could only hope they would get sorted into different houses.

"GRYFFINDOR!" screamed the hat after a while and it was time for the table on the far left to explode with cheers. Colin ripped off the hat and staggered towards the Gryffindors who welcomed him cordially.

"Diggory, Evangeline!"

As Evie stepped forward, she could feel her legs and hands shake. Before she put on the hat and sat down, she could see Cedric crane his neck to get a better look at her, but then the hat dropped over her eyes and blocked him from view.

"Well, well, well," a small voice said in her ear. "I see a brilliant mind, very talented. Cunning, too, oh yes. You have the courage to achieve great things, yes, yes. So where shall I put you?"

Evie scooted forward, her hands sweaty.

"Well," the voice continued, "it better be ... GRYFFINDOR!"

The last word was shouted to the whole Hall and Evie took off the hat with shaky hands to walk towards the Gryffindors, who were cheering loudly. Before Evie sat down next to Colin, she turned around and saw that Cedric was grinning from ear to ear and gave her the thumbs up again. Now it was finally time for Evie to grin back at her brother and she waved at him.

"Welcome to Gryffindor!" two redheads called at Evie from across the table and she recognized them as Ginny's brothers and, hence, the mischief-makers from the train who had thrown the dungbombs.

Colin was also beaming at Evie with bright eyes while "Lovegood, Luna" was declared a Ravenclaw.

After quite some time, there were only five people left to be sorted until it was finally Ginny's turn. When the hat finally shouted "GRYFFINDOR!" Evie couldn't believe her luck and she clapped loudly with the rest as Ginny sat down next to her.

"Well done, Ginny," another redhead said. Evie assumed him to be Ginny's oldest brother at Hogwarts. He had a shiny badge with a large 'P' pinned to his chest and seemed to be very proud of it.

"Where are Ron and Harry?" asked Ginny in a whispered voice as she looked around the table. Headmaster Dumbledore had gotten up from his seat and was welcoming everybody and Evie suddenly remembered that she now shared a house with the famous Harry Potter. She also took a good look around, but couldn't find him.

One of the twins just shrugged and began to dig into some of the food that had suddenly appeared in front of them. "Last time we saw them was back at King's Cross," he said.

"Do you think Harry will give me an autograph?" Colin suddenly asked, his voice filled with hope.

"Yeah, if you kiss his feet first he probably will," the other twin mused, stuffing mashed potatoes into his mouth. The other chuckled.

"Fred, stop it," the oldest sibling reprimanded his brother and looked at Colin, whose whole face had fallen, with pity. "I'm sure Harry will sign an autograph if he gets asked nicely."

Colin's face lit up again and Evie rolled her eyes. When she looked up, Cedric was smiling at her proudly, and Evie finally felt at ease for the first time in weeks.

* * *

 **Some of the lines you might've recognised, mainly McGonagall's speech, were taken from _Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone_. Please read and review; it would mean a lot to me :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**LoveFiction2017: Thank you for being the first reviewer! I hope this Colin fic will measure up to your expectations :)**

 **DISCLAIMER: I only own my OCs. Any characters and places you _do_ recognise belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Detention**

Evie's first year at Hogwarts had gone by way too fast and next thing she knew, her second year had already begun.

Even though her first year had been filled with a lot of chaos and even fear – she remembered Colin and other students being petrified by some ancient monster and Ginny getting dragged into the so-called Chamber of Secrets, where Harry Potter had come to her rescue – it had gone by quite unspectacular.

Evie's most favourite subject, by far, was Defence Against the Dark Arts even though their teacher had been anything but professional. She also liked Transfiguration, which was taught by their Head of House, Professor McGonagall. Professor McGonagall was very strict, but Evie studied hard to impress her teachers. But while she excelled in both subjects, Evie despised History of Magic and was even worse at Potions, her most hated subject. She also got the feeling that Professor Snape did not particularly like her.

"This is one of the worst Forgetfulness Potions I have ever seen," Snape had sneered at Evie one day during class and had cleared her cauldron with one flick of his wand. Evie had burst into tears after class and Ginny even had to call Cedric to calm her down.

Speaking of Ginny, she had turned into the closest friend Evie had ever had, even though Ginny had undergone several 'bizarre' stages during their first year where she would suddenly vanish or turn up all shaky and pale. Evie had never found out why and had worried a lot about her friend, but, thankfully, Ginny had turned back to her old self at the end of the school year, thanking Evie for not having repudiated her for all she had done.

The two friends shared their dorm with two other girls, Nora Johnson and Mary Weatherby. Nora had an older cousin, Angelina, who was also a Gryffindor, and she, hence, had also already known a lot about Hogwarts upon their arrival. She was tall and friendly, but often lost her temper when things didn't go her way. Mary, in contrast, was quiet and hard-working, and rarely spoke her mind. She was a plumb girl with short, blonde hair and rosy cheeks, and one of the nicest people Evie had ever met.

Evie's temper, in contrast to that of her friends, usually rivalled an upcoming thunderstorm on a hot summer day as she tended to show her feelings, especially those of affection, amusement, and anger, openly. She was amiable and loyal towards her friends, loved laughing loudly and openly at things she found amusing, and didn't mind to speak her mind. However, due to her lively character, Evie also got easily distracted and irritated. Ginny was usually quite amused when Evie began to huff and groan about the amount of homework, flying lessons or Snape's apparent resentment towards her, though she didn't shy away from reprimanding Evie once in a while.

Nothing, or rather no one, annoyed Evie more than Colin Creevey, though. Ginny believed that Evie and Colin had just gotten off on the wrong foot when they had first met more than a year ago, but Evie highly doubted that. Sure, Colin was friendly and had never been rude to Evie, or anyone, really, yet his constant excitement and cheerfulness grated on Evie's nerves, and she didn't even know why Colin still liked her after constantly being snapped at.

After being petrified for more than half a year, Colin still liked to take photos of others, though he was not as obtrusive as before. Still, he seemed to have chosen Evie and non-other than Harry Potter as his personal favourites to take pictures of, a fact that constantly bothered Evie and the older Gryffindor.

Evie got along well with the rest of her house mates and was even beginning to enjoy her second year, even though Potions was still a thorn in Evie's side. Cedric had even given Evie private lessons over the winter holidays, apparently without success: when Snape handed Evie back her essay on Swelling Solutions in January, he had scribbled something into the right upper corner which looked like she'd gotten zero points, again.

"Snape hates me," groaned Evie as she stuffed the crumbled essay back into her bag while Snape handed out the rest of the papers. She peeked at Ginny's paper and saw that she had gotten a much higher mark than her.

"I think he hates Harry even more than you," Ginny said with laughter, trying to comfort her friend. "Maybe you and Harry should establish an anti-Snape organisation or something."

"Oh haha, very funny, Ginny," Evie said dryly and turned her attention back to the front of the classroom where Snape had written today's instructions on the blackboard.

"Today," said Snape, "we will begin with the brewing of the Sleeping Draught. This particular potion should not be much of a challenge, even to the worst in this class."

Evie could have sworn that his eyes lingered on her for a split second.

"You will be working in pairs for the rest of the month as this potion, simple as it indisputably is, requires a lot of care and attention," Snape continued and unrolled a short parchment where the second-year's names were listed. "I will call you in alphabetical order – Avery and Cambron."

The two Slytherin girls nodded towards each other, and Cambron grabbed her stuff and shuffled over to Avery's table.

Evie knew what was about to happen even before Snape's lips curled.

"Creevey, Diggory."

The auburn-haired girl groaned inside and grabbed her things to move towards an already beaming Colin. She was doomed. If there was one person in this class who was as bad at Potions as Evie, it was most definitely Colin Creevey.

"We have to do well," whispered Evie, once she had reached Colin and placed her cauldron next to his. "No, we have to be _brilliant_ , Colin. I cannot fail again."

"You will find the instructions on the board," Snape said as he had finished pairing Ginny with Mary, and sat down at his desk. "Begin."

Two hours later, Evie couldn't even really comprehend what had happened, but she was sure that these particular hours had been the worst of her life. Everything had gone wrong from the minute Colin and Evie had started, and class had abruptly ended when their cauldron had begun to emit a dark, foul-smelling smoke. Evie was pretty sure that they had failed their first assignment.

"At least it didn't catch fire like mine did back in October," Colin tried to cheer her up after class, but to no avail.

Evie tried to hold back the tears that threatened to spill once they had reached the Great Hall for dinner and Ginny put a comforting arm around her.

"Don't take it too much to heart," she said and steered her over to the Gryffindor table where Nora and Mary were already waiting. "Potions is not worth crying over, Evie."

"Hear, hear!" George Weasley agreed and made room for the two second-years. "Truer words have never been spoken, dear sister."

"Remember that one time our cauldron exploded and showered everyone with flobberworm mucus, even Snape?" Fred added.

"Best Potions lesson I've ever had," said George, and they high-fived. Ginny, Harry and Ron laughed loudly, and even Evie smiled shyly.

"Snape _hates_ me," Harry added and poked the roast beef on his plate. He looked up into Evie's teary eyes. "I bet he just dislikes you because you're not the best at Potions. He hounds Neville all the time." The plumb boy next to Hermione Granger nodded softly, and Evie felt instantly better and was thankful that everyone had tried to cheer her up.

"I shouldn't have yelled at Colin during class," Evie mumbled so that only Ginny could hear her while the others, except Hermione and Neville, continued to badmouth Snape. She looked over at Colin who, apparently, had been watching her and he blushed slightly as he turned back around to listen to his friend. His camera was sitting on the table next to him.

"You probably shouldn't have," said Ginny and smiled. She poured herself some pumpkin juice and joined Mary's and Nora's conversation about their upcoming Charms essay.

* * *

January slowly faded into February and Evie and Colin miraculously passed their Potions assignment, much to their surprise and joy.

"I knew we weren't _that_ bad!" Evie exclaimed after class and laughed as Colin stared at their mark as if it were the most wonderful thing he'd ever seen. When she espied her brother amongst the students rushing into the Great Hall, she waved Colin goodbye and rushed after Cedric's tall figure.

"Ced!" called Evie, making Cedric and his friends turn around. "Guess what, I finally passed that bloody Potions assignment."

"Language, Miss Diggory!" Professor Flitwick chided Evie kindly as he passed by and headed into the Great Hall towards the teacher's table. Evie blushed.

Cedric barked out a laugh and ruffled his sister's auburn hair which was now reaching past her shoulder blades. Like the rest of her family, Evie was quite vain when it came to her hair and, hence, she took very good care of it. She would never admit it around Cedric, but she'd already taught herself several spells to make her hair look shiny or put it into various fashionable braids.

"Well, I've never stopped believing in your hidden Potions talents," Cedric said and they continued entering the Hall. "By the way, are you coming to our match against Slytherin this Saturday?"

"I'd never miss one of your matches," Evie grinned and put her arm around her brother, which was quite an awkward affair since Cedric was so much taller than her. Cedric smiled down at her and the siblings separated to grab dinner. Ginny and Nora were nowhere to be seen when Evie sat across from Mary and Evie suddenly remembered that their Transfiguration homework was due tomorrow. She groaned and put her head on the table.

"Forgot about your Transfiguration homework as well?" Mary asked kindly and Evie nodded gravely. She was tired and exhausted after double Potions and had longed for a nice dinner, followed by a good-night's sleep. Ginny and Nora were probably already working on their homework back in the Gryffindor common room, and Evie promptly decided to skip dinner to join them. She didn't feel like working alone today.

On her way to the common room, Evie ran into the Weasley twins who spontaneously decided to join her for the rest of the way. Evie had taken a great liking towards Ginny's twin brothers after she had gotten to know them during her first year at Hogwarts and often laughed about their jokes and pranks. Fred and George were already in their fifth year and thus had to prepare for their O.W.L.s, which neither of them seemed to be taking too seriously.

"Good marks and academic achievements are totally overrated," Fred said as Evie told them about her forgotten homework. "Look at us, we don't need all that for planning some good, old prank." George nodded and grinned.

" _Scurvy Cur_ ," said Evie once they'd reached the portrait of the Fat Lady and the trio climbed through the hole and into the Gryffindor common room.

Ginny and Nora were sitting at a table near a window on the left side of the room, Hermione, Ron and Harry sitting across from them. Ron was loudly complaining about his Divination homework when the trio reached their table and begged Hermione to let him copy hers. Ginny giggled at Hermione's offended No, scribbling something onto her own parchment. Harry was staring longingly out the window at the darkening sky.

"Move over," said Fred and forced Ron to get up from his seat. "Faking Divination homework has always been one of my specialities."

Hermione shook her head in disbelief as Fred began to scribble something on Ron's parchment. Evie took a seat next to Ginny and opened her Transfiguration textbook.

"I'm _so_ not in the mood," she said to Ginny and sighed. Nora looked up at Evie with her dark brown eyes, pointing her quill at the shorter girl.

"At least you're brilliant at this stuff," Nora said, spilling ink droplets onto her homework. "I should've asked Mary to let me copy her homework."

"What is the assignment?" Hermione asked and scooted closer to Nora, having finished her own homework. " _Please describe the reverse spell for turning animals into inanimate objects'_ , oh that's quite easy, I can help you with that." And she promptly engrossed the three second-years in a conversation about how to perform the spell and what had to be kept in mind.

"Do you think Sirius Black will ever get caught?" Harry suddenly asked, turning away from the window. The sky was now dark outside and Evie could see her reflection in the window.

"Of course he will!" Ron exclaimed. He was still standing next to a sitting Fred, craning his neck to see what his brother was writing. George had already settled in an armchair close to the fire where he was animatedly talking to Nora's cousin Angelina and one of her friends.

"I sure hope so," Ginny added and blushed when Harry looked at her. Evie had long known about Ginny's crush on Harry and hid a small smile behind her hand. "I want those damned Dementors to finally leave the premises."

"Ced said Dumbledore is furious that the Ministry hasn't withdrawn them yet," Evie said and Fred snorted.

"I didn't know pretty boy Diggory and Dumbledore are besties," he said and smirked at Evie. She knew that the twins weren't too fond of her brother, a feeling that had only intensified after Hufflepuff had beaten Gryffindor in a Quidditch match back in October. Fred and George had gotten on Evie's nerves for weeks until she had made it abundantly clear that she wanted the twins to stop badmouthing her brother, at least in her presence. Hence, Evie only needed to raise an eyebrow at Fred after his statement and he turned back to Ron's homework with a grin.

"No, they'll catch him soon, I'm sure of it," she added and looked at Harry with a serious expression. He just nodded and turned his head back around to stare out at the black sky again.

* * *

Evie's birthday was on May 10th, and she woke up in a great mood. The sun was already shining brightly outside and a peek on her timetable told her that they neither had History of Magic nor Potions on this particular day. She grinned and stretched, and when she hopped out of bed, Ginny was already beaming at her behind the half-closed curtains around her bed.

"Happy thirteenth birthday!" she squealed and they hugged. Mary and Nora were also already awake and wished Evie a happy birthday with bright smiles. The two friends handed her a huge box filled with all kinds of sweets and Ginny had gotten her a pretty friendship bracelet, which she put on almost instantly.

"It's lovely, thanks Gin," Evie cooed and hugged her friend again. The bracelet was dangling from her left wrist.

Later, when the four girls entered the Great Hall to grab some breakfast before their first class, Cedric and his friends, immediately followed by the Weasley twins, once they'd figured out what Cedric was up to, got up and loudly sang Happy Birthday for Evie, their voices echoing through the Hall. Some students were laughing, some were just staring, and Evie wished the floor would open up and swallow her whole.

"I hate you so much right now," Evie whispered once Cedric had joined her, her whole face on fire.

"Love you, too," Cedric said and engulfed his younger sister in a hug which she reluctantly returned. Cedric joined them at the Gryffindor table for breakfast today, much to Fred and George's chagrin and to the delight of most of the Gryffindor girls. Hermione's dorm mates stole glances at Cedric, who had sat down between Evie and Ginny, and were giggling almost non-stop. Hermione rolled her eyes at them and hid her face behind today's issue of the _Daily Prophet_.

"Did you like our singing?" George asked with a grin, stealing a strip of bacon from Ron's plate.

"Loved it," Evie said tartly. "Nothing can kill my mood today, dear friend."

She had never been more wrong, though.

While double Transfiguration and lunch had been quiet affairs, Defence Against the Dark Arts turned out to be Evie's mood killer of the day. Well, it wasn't class itself that was bad because Evie adored Professor Lupin and excelled in his class; it was the fact that Evie had forgotten her textbook in Lupin's classroom and had to go all the way back before dinner to go and get it.

"I'll be right back," she called after Ginny and the others, and rushed back up the marble staircase and down a corridor to her right. The sun was already setting outside since Wednesday tended to be the longest and busiest day of the week for the second-years, and Evie could hear her stomach growl from hunger. She had only eaten a sandwich during lunch while the others had stuffed their faces with meatloaf and mashed potatoes.

Evie came to a halt in front of the classroom and knocked softly.

"Professor?" she asked tentatively and opened the door. "Professor Lupin?"

No one was there, but Evie easily espied her forgotten book on one of the front desks and rushed towards it without waiting for Lupin to answer or show himself. He was probably already at dinner. She grabbed her textbook and stuffed it back into her bag, but she screamed the moment she turned around to leave the dim classroom.

Someone had been standing right behind Evie and she let go of her bag in shock, and it crashed to the floor with a loud thud. She stumbled backwards.

"W-what ...," she gasped when a hand reached out and Evie closed her eyes and slapped the hand away with such force that she could hear something burst only a second later.

The lights in the classroom suddenly flickered on, blinding Evie.

"What is going on?" a surprised voice asked and Evie turned around to see Professor Lupin standing at the top of the stairs leading up to his office. His eyebrows were raised, his expression tired.

Evie turned around and her face fell. Colin was standing right in front of her, his face sad as he stared down at the floor at his broken camera. He must have followed Evie all the way back to the Defence classroom and probably only wanted to talk to Evie, or maybe he had forgotten something as well, but Evie had believed him to be an intruder – which was quite stupid, now that she thought about it. All her fears of Sirius Black breaking into the castle again must've clouded her mind.

"I am SO sorry," Evie gasped when she saw Colin's camera and realised with horror that she probably must've slapped it out of his hand in the dark.

Colin remained silent as he bent down to pick up the broken pieces.

"I-I just came back to pick up my forgotten textbook," Evie explained to Lupin who had climbed down the stairs to join them. "Colin startled me and since I couldn't make out his face in the dark, I thought him to be a perpetrator."

"A perpetrator?" asked Lupin, raising his eyebrows again. Evie felt small and silly, and she looked down at the floor with embarrassment. "I think you're perfectly safe in this classroom, Miss Diggory."

Lupin was smiling kindly when Evie's eyes met his.

"My camera," Colin mumbled sadly. "It's broken."

"Ah, nothing we can't fix, Colin," Lupin said and flicked his wand. " _Reparo_!"

Seconds later, Colin's camera looked like it had never been thrown across the room by Evie, and the two second-years shyly smiled at each other.

"Now that we've settled that," Lupin continued and looked at his two students with an apologetic expression, and Evie knew what was about to come. "I cannot let you two go without a detention, I'm very sorry. But you know the rules that have been established after Sirius Black's escape and those include not walking around the castle alone after dark. You know Professor McGonagall would have my head if she ever found out I would have let the two of you go."

"Professor, please," Evie begged, though she knew it was useless. This was the second time Lupin had caught her out alone after dark and she knew she would not get off lightly _this_ time.

"I'm sorry," he said again. "But how about you have your detention tonight, get it over with?"

Evie groaned. Happy birthday indeed, she thought and looked at Colin who was shuffling his feet.

"I'll go and get the old Grindylow tank which still needs some scrubbing, and I'll let you two grab some late dinner after that," Lupin said and hurried back into his office.

Evie and Colin remained silent and sat down at the front desk when Lupin returned with a huge muddy tank. Evie wrinkled her nose as she made out the leftover seaweed at its bottom.

"Sorry about the mess," Lupin said and handed each of them a sponge and a bucket filled with warm water. "I'll return in half an hour, I think you should be done by then."

Lupin disappeared into his office and Evie sighed. This was bloody stupid. Ginny and the others were probably already wondering where she was, and she was still feeling guilty about having broken Colin's camera even though Lupin had already fixed it. Anger welled up inside her and she began to furiously scrub at a dark spot on the tank's outer glass.

"I'm sorry for startling you," Colin said as he watched Evie closely. "I didn't mean to frighten you, that was not my intent."

"It's okay ... I'm sorry for breaking your camera," Evie answered and looked up at Colin. He had grown quite a bit over the last two years and was now several centimetres taller than Evie. "Even if Lupin fixed it, I shouldn't have slapped you."

Colin laughed and the brightness finally returned to his brown eyes. "Well, you didn't do it on purpose."

"Why did you follow me, though?" asked Evie and changed her position so that she was now scrubbing the inside of the tank. Colin was doing the same and their hands brushed for a second.

Colin blushed. "My parents and brother have sent me a ton of sweets today. I wanted to share them with you for, you know, having passed all of our last Potions assignments and all. I saw you rush out of the Great Hall and thought I could catch you before you returned to the others."

Colin's intent was so simple and pure that Evie could only stare at him for a while. Then she smiled softly and shook her head.

"That's really nice of you, Colin, thanks," she said and noticed that this was actually one of the first times she had spoken to Colin without him grating on her nerves. _I'm improving_ , she thought and grinned to herself.

"Any specific reason for your family to be sending you so many sweets?" asked Evie, trying to make small-talk.

"Oh," Colin beamed excitedly. "It's actually my birthday, today! I spent all morning unwrapping gifts from my family, and Thomas and I have already eaten a significant amount of my mum's homemade cookies before class, so we skipped breakfast today."

Evie stared at Colin with big eyes. "Today's your birthday?"

Colin gave a confused nod.

"Well, as it happens ... today is my birthday as well," she said and they both began to grin at each other.

"No way!" Colin exclaimed, threw his sponge back into the bucket and hugged Evie's side. Evie blushed and pushed Colin aside awkwardly, but she couldn't help but laugh.

"No need to get so excited," she said and smirked at the brown-haired boy.

"That's so _cool_ ," Colin breathed as if sharing a birthday with Evie was the best thing in the world. "We could throw joint birthday parties from now on; that's so exciting." Evie didn't think that the prospect of throwing a birthday party with Colin every year from now on excited her _that_ much, but, for once, she refrained from saying anything snarky.

"So ... your brother," said Evie, changing the subject. Colin had picked up his sponge again and looked at her. "Is he going to attend Hogwarts as well?"

Colin shrugged. "To be quite honest, I don't know yet. You see, my parents are Muggles. But they're super cool, really! They were so excited when Professor McGonagall came to our house with my Hogwarts letter on my eleventh birthday. But I think Dennis might be a wizard, too – he can do a lot of weird stuff, actually. But we'll only know for sure by the end of June, that's when he turns eleven, you know."

Colin was rambling again, but Evie didn't mind as she listened to his excited babbling. She began to wonder what it must've been like for Colin to grow up around Muggles. He probably went to a Muggle school before Hogwarts, now that she thought about it. Since Evie and Cedric's parents had both been attending Hogwarts as well, it was only natural for Evie to assume that she would be going to Hogwarts as well one day. Her father came from an old pure-blood family while her mother's mum, her grandmother, was an American witch who had married a Muggle-born British wizard back in the 1940s. They'd moved to England when her mother was still very young and her parents had met at Hogwarts a few years later. Evie loved the story of how they'd met on their very first ride on the Hogwarts Express and how her father had courted her mother until she'd finally agreed to a date in their fifth year. She wondered if she'd meet her future husband at Hogwarts as well ...

"I see that you're almost finished," a voice broke Evie's train of thought and Lupin headed down the stairs of his office to join them.

"Well done," he said and examined their work. The tank was almost clean now. "I think that'll be enough. Mind if I join you on your way to the Great Hall?"

Evie grabbed her bag while Colin pulled his camera close to his chest and the trio left the classroom to enjoy a much needed dinner.

* * *

By the end of the school year, Lupin had resigned and Evie was sad to see him leave.

"I still can't believe that Lupin resigned!" Evie exclaimed during breakfast on the day they'd all be going home for the summer. Ginny was sitting beside her, lazily stirring her porridge while she yawned. They'd gotten up early with a few other Gryffindor students, Harry, Ron and Hermione amongst them, to see Lupin off, who seemed to have been deeply touched by the gesture.

"He was the best teacher we've ever had," Harry agreed, anger lacing his voice. "I can't believe Snape told everyone about his secret!"

They furiously stared at the teacher's table where Snape was sitting, though he didn't take notice of them and continued to read the _Daily Prophet_.

"He's the worst," Harry spat and slammed his fist down onto the table.

"Harry, shush!" Hermione hushed, taking a quick look around to see if anyone had been listening. Only a handful of people were staring at Harry, and Hermione glared at them.

"No, Harry's right," Evie agreed. "He's a _snake_. Who cares if Lupin's a werewolf? That doesn't change anything about his personality or his teaching methods, does it?"

"Well," Mary added carefully, taking a sip from her steaming tea cup. "It is still very dangerous."

Evie turned around to glare at her friend and Mary blushed.

"Well, too bad about Lupin, he was a nice fellow," Fred said and sighed dramatically. "But can we _please_ talk about the fact that dad got us tickets for this year's Quidditch World Cup final?"

Ron sighed dreamily and his eyes clouded over. "I can't wait to find out who's going to succeed to the finals. I bet Bulgaria's going to be one of them."

"No way!" Seamus Finnigan, another third-year Gryffindor, exclaimed. "Peru's much better than Bulgaria this year."

"But Bulgaria has Krum," Ron said, and they started a heated discussion about who'd play in the World Cup final.

"Did your dad get tickets, too?" Nora asked Evie, pouring herself another cup of Pumpkin juice. Evie nodded.

"Yeah, we're going with Ginny's whole family this time," she said and looked up when Colin and his friend Thomas got up from the table to presumably fetch their luggage. "Excuse me for a second."

Evie got up and hurried after the two boys into the Entrance Hall.

"Colin!" she called and suddenly felt silly and exposed as the boys stopped walking up the marble staircase and turned around. Thomas was looking at Evie with curiosity while Colin put on his typical bright smile.

"Hey Evie, what's up?" he asked, his camera dangling on a cord around his neck.

"I, uhm," Evie stuttered and looked over Colin's shoulder at Thomas. She had only wanted to wish Colin a nice summer because they'd gotten along fairly well ever since their detention with Lupin back at the beginning of May. Now she didn't even know why exactly she'd wanted to bid Colin farewell. It wasn't like they were _that_ close and Evie cursed her spontaneity.

"I just wanted to wish you a nice holiday," Evie continued and felt a familiar heat pooling in her cheeks. "And I also wanted to ask if you're also attending the Quidditch World Cup final in August?"

By now, Thomas was giving a smug little grin behind Colin's back and Evie wanted to punch his stupid face.

"Unfortunately not," Colin sighed, disappointment written all over his face. "I fear my parents wouldn't even know what to do there."

Evie suddenly felt stupid for asking Colin; his parents were Muggles, how in the world would they have gotten tickets for the World Cup? She blushed scarlet and waved her hand as if to wipe Colin's worries away.

"Well," Colin added and smiled again. "I hope Ireland makes it to the finals. I've been following them for quite a while now and they're pretty amazing."

Thomas was clearing his throat to remind Colin of his presence. The latter shot him an apologetic look.

"We have to fetch our luggage and I fear I've still got some packing to do," Colin apologised while Thomas had already continued to climb the rest of the stairs. Evie made sure to shoot the black-haired boy a deathly glare when he turned around to wait for Colin.

"I ... no, it's quite all right, I did not mean to keep you."

"Thank you, though, I hope you have a nice summer as well," said Colin. "And make sure to bring back some pictures from the World Cup." He grinned and they separated.

Evie felt embarrassed and stupid, but suddenly Colin was calling her back and she whisked around, her long auburn hair flying in all directions.

"Evie!" he called from atop the marble staircase, waving at her as if she hadn't noticed him already. Those who were hurrying up and down the staircase were looking at Colin funny and Evie blushed again. "Would you mind if I write to you over the summer?"

An unknown warmth settled in Evie's stomach and she smiled softly at the boy who had been the bane of her existence for more than a year.

"I'm already looking forward to it!" she answered.

Colin waved again, gave Evie the thumbs up and disappeared with a big smile on his face.

* * *

 **So, Evie doesn't dislike Colin that much after all, what a surprise ;) This chapter might seem a little rushed, but I didn't want to focus that much on their first and second year because, well, let's be honest, it's just not _that_ interesting. I'll be focusing much more on Evie's third year, though, which will take place during _GoF_. As I'll be sticking to the canon, you probably all know what's going to happen then ...**

 **Also, Snape _really_ only dislikes Evie 'cause she sucks at Potions, nothing personal there. Please READ and REVIEW.**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I only own my OCs. Any characters and places you _do_ recognise belong to the wonderful J. K. Rowling.**

* * *

 **Chapter 3: The Quidditch World Cup**

Evie spent most of her summer outdoors: Reading in the garden, going for a swim with Cedric, or hanging out with Ginny and Hermione, who had come to stay at the Burrow with Harry before the Quidditch World Cup. Evie's summer assignments were already collecting dust up in her room, something Cedric found especially amusing, and he constantly teased her for being a slacker. Cedric, of course, had finished his homework a long time ago and was able to enjoy the rest of the summer break without remorse. Evie somewhat envied her brother for his diligence, but the weather was just too good to spend her noontime locked up in her room.

The day before the World Cup final was hot and humid. Evie stared at her reflection while she was combing her long hair, her mother already calling her downstairs into the kitchen for breakfast.

"I'm coming, Mum!" Evie yelled back when her mother's voice floated upstairs again. Cedric banged against the bathroom door on his way into the kitchen and she could hear his laughter as he pounded down the stairs.

Gazing critically, Evie took a peek at her reflection again. Her skin had somewhat tanned over the summer, but, like Cedric, she was still quite pale compared to their parents. Freckles were now splattered all over her nose and cheeks, while thick, long lashes framed her bright grey eyes. Her features weren't as chiselled as her brother's, though Evie had finally lost the rest of her baby fat and had begun to gain some curves during the last two months. Her bosom wasn't as flat as before, her hips not as narrow. She knew that handsomeness ran in their family, but Evie couldn't stop herself from also taking a closer look at the things she _didn't_ like about herself: She was still really short, even shorter than Ginny and Colin Creevey, which was saying something, and her hair had lost some of its lustre when she'd reached puberty. And while her teeth were straight and white, her front teeth had a tiny gap between them which Evie _loathed_.

Evie sighed as she opened the bathroom door and hurried downstairs where the rest of her family was already waiting. Her father's head was hidden behind the newest _Daily Prophet_ and he was softly mumbling to himself. Cedric was already shovelling scrambled eggs and sausages onto his plate.

"This came for you, hun," Mrs Diggory said when Evie sat down across her father, and she handed her a letter. Evie recognised Colin's handwriting almost immediately and smiled; they'd exchanged numerous letters over the summer, talking about this and that, and Evie was, by now, already looking forward to Colin's weekly letters.

"Who's it from?" Cedric asked, sipping his coffee. "That Creevey kid again?"

"Yes," Evie answered simply, ignoring Cedric's waggling eyebrows.

"Man, he must _really_ like you," he cooed and added a soft "thanks for breakfast, Mum" when their mother finally sat down as well.

"You know, Ced, exchanging letters with the opposite sex doesn't always equal a secret romance," said Evie curtly and put Colin's letter aside to grab the butter. "We're just friends and that's it."

Cedric just laughed. "What's his deal, though? I've seen him sneak after you to take pictures, which isn't a secret to anyone anymore, by the way."

"Someone's stalking you?" Mr Diggory suddenly called angrily, lowering his paper.

"What? No, Dad, come on!" Evie laughed, trying to reassure her father that no one was stalking her. "See, Ced, that's how you tarnish someone's reputation."

"Just looking out for my baby sister."

"But, really, we're nothing more than friends," Evie added. "Besides, he takes pictures of Harry Potter all the time as well and I'm still too young to be interested in someone romantically."

Cedric nodded at his sister's words, though Evie saw in his eyes that he doubted at least some of them.

"Maybe _you_ should focus on _your_ romances for once," Evie added slyly. "I see the way you look at Cho Chang, dear brother. Nothing escapes my watchful eye."

"You caught me," Cedric said and raised both hands in the air with a grin. "Though, you cannot deny that she's funny and smart, and really, really good-looking." Evie just rolled her eyes while their mother chuckled softly.

After breakfast, Evie grabbed Colin's letter and hurried outside into the garden. She settled into one of the lawn chairs near the pond, unfolded the letter and began to read.

 _Dear Evie,_

 _can you believe it? There's only one week left until we go back to Hogwarts, and I can't wait to go back to school! I know, you'll probably shake your head and laugh at that, but you know how much I love learning new magic and I'm already super excited for Dennis to attend as well. I hope he gets sorted into Gryffindor as well, wouldn't that be wicked? I bet you'll love him, too!_

 _On a different note, I told my mum that you're going to the Quidditch World Cup final which led to me answering all sorts of questions about Quidditch and, well, you. I think she wants to meet you now haha. Maybe you could visit us next summer, if only for a day or so, if you want to, that is ... Thomas stayed over for a few days last weekend and we went swimming and skating and it was pretty cool. Dennis has gotten a Playstation for his birthday which he's been playing non-stop. It's a kind of digital game that you play on a television. I can show you one day, it's super amazing._

 _I hope you enjoy your last week of summer and I hope you're going to have a blast at the World Cup. Dennis is so sad that we can't go; I've already told him all about Quidditch and shown him some of the pictures I've taken during the games last year. He, too, thinks that Harry's flying is amazing._

 _Maybe we can share a compartment on the Hogwarts Express this time? Do you think Harry would join us if I bring some of my mum's cookies?_

 _I look forward to hearing from you again soon,_

 _Colin_

 _P.S.: Thank you for the box of Chocolate Frogs! Dennis was giddy with excitement when one jumped across our kitchen table into the dustbin._

Evie laughed and put the letter down. She still didn't get what a _Playstation_ was but maybe Mum and Dad would allow her to visit the Creeveys for one day next summer and Colin could show her. She loved Ottery St Catchpole, though she wouldn't mind seeing more of England soon.

"Oi, Evie!" a voice suddenly called and Evie raised her head to see Ginny and Hermione walking up to their garden fence, Ginny waving excitedly.

"We wanted to go into town to grab some ice cream, you coming?" Ginny asked, leaning against the fence. More than a year ago, to Evie's and Ginny's great surprise, they'd found out that they only lived half an hour apart from each other. By now, this had already resulted in many sleepovers and days spent together.

"Sure, just let me grab my things!"

Evie hurried back into the house where her father was just getting ready for work.

"Ginny, Hermione and I are going into town," she answered Mr Diggory's unspoken question while tying her shoes. Then she suddenly looked up with a puzzled expression.

"Dad, do we own a camera?"

"One of those Muggle-things?" her father asked, grabbing his briefcase. "I don't think so, love. Maybe you could ask one of the neighbours. Why do you need it, though?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Evie said and blushed. Maybe she could've taken some pictures at the World Cup for Colin ...

Mr Diggory just shrugged and called for his wife to ready the fireplace.

* * *

Evie had barely gotten any sleep when Cedric woke her up at the ungodly hour of two in the morning. He was pale and had bloodshot eyes, and he couldn't stop yawning when he ushered Evie to get out of bed. Evie stayed in her bed for a few more minutes after Cedric had gone downstairs to pack his bag, enjoying its warmth and comfort before she finally got up reluctantly. She took a quick shower, put her hair into a messy bun, slipped into a pair of dark blue jeans and a simple white jumper, and made her way downstairs on tip-toes, trying hard not to wake her mother.

"Morning," Mr Diggory beamed at his daughter. He was flicking his wand and the ingredients on the kitchen table began to prepare themselves into loads of big sandwiches. He kissed Evie on the cheek, his beard scratchy.

"Dad, I think it's time for you to shave off your beard," Evie said with an amused expression as she bent down to put on her sneakers. Cedric snorted.

"Your mother likes it."

They set off in silence, each carrying a heavy back filled with food and a set of fresh clothes as they'd be spending the night near the Quidditch stadium. The moon was still out and Evie shivered as the cold air enclosed them. Cedric offered her his jacket which Evie gratefully accepted. They still had a long way to walk and Evie began to grumble under her breath once they climbed up Stoatshead Hill, her lungs burning.

"This sucks," she wheezed, following closely behind Cedric so that she wouldn't suddenly stumble in hidden rabbit holes.

"Evie, language!" their father chided her. "Come on now, we need to find the Portkey."

Evie squinted around at the ground while Cedric stumbled over some rocks ahead of her. Their father crouched down suddenly, picking up a mouldy-looking old boot.

"Think I've found it," he said and turned around when they heard hushed voices right behind them. "Over here, Arthur! Over here, son, we've got it!"

"Amos!" a voice called and Evie could finally make out Mr Weasley's smiling face as he strode over to the trio. The rest of the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione were right behind him. Evie had only seen Mr Weasley a few times since he was usually at the Ministry when she visited Ginny, but she recognised his tall, thin figure and bright red hair almost immediately. Ginny was bouncing up towards Evie and hugged her tightly while their fathers shook hands.

"So cold," Hermione jittered when it was her turn to hug Evie. She looked pale and tired.

"This is Amos Diggory, everyone," said Mr Weasley and the girls turned around to look at him. Evie's father was beaming at everyone. "Works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you know his children, Cedric and Evangeline?"

The twins snorted when Mr Weasley introduced Evie with her full name, though she knew he couldn't have known better. Only her grandparents called her Evangeline, the name sounding almost strange to her ears.

Evie smiled at the group which she, of course, already knew.

"Hi," said Cedric, looking around.

Everybody said "Hi" back except Fred and George, who merely nodded, and Evie rolled her eyes at them. They still had never quite forgiven her brother for beating their team in the first Quidditch match of the previous year. She could hear Mr Weasley and her father talk about trivial things, and she leaned her head against Ginny's shoulder, suddenly feeling very tired.

"We had to get up at two," Evie said and yawned while Mr Weasley introduced Harry and Hermione to her father. He made big eyes at Harry once he recognised him. "Ugh, here we go."

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," she could hear Cedric mutter. He looked slightly embarrassed. "I told you ... it was an accident ..."

"Yes, but _you_ didn't fall off, did you?" roared Mr Diggory genially, slapping Cedric on his back. "Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman ... but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, you don't need to be a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"

Harry remained silent. Fred and George were both scowling and Evie buried her face into Ginny's shoulder with a groan.

"Must be nearly time," said Mr Weasley quickly, trying to lift the tension. "Do you know whether we're waiting for any more, Amos?"

Her father said no and the ten of them crowded around the old boot held out by him. They all stood there in complete silence, Evie wedged between Cedric and Ron.

"Three ..." muttered Mr Weasley, one eye on his watch, "two ... one ..."

Evie suddenly felt like an invisible force was jerking her forwards while her feet had left the ground. Her shoulders were banging against Cedric and Ron's, colours swirling around them and then –

Her feet hit the ground and she stumbled into Cedric who was standing upright next to their father and Mr Weasley; everybody else was on the ground.

"Seven past five from Stoatshead Hill," said a voice right behind them and a pair of tired and grumpy-looking wizards approached their group. Evie looked around the misty moor they'd arrived on and was glad that Cedric had given her his jacket; it was freezing. She helped Ginny and Hermione off the ground.

"Diggory ... second field ... ask for Mr Payne," one of the wizards said, taking a peek at the parchment he was holding.

They set off across the deserted moor and after about twenty minutes, a small stone cottage next to a gate swam into view. They said goodbye to the rest of the group, who'd be staying on this field, Evie promising Ginny and Hermione that she'd see them later, and went on to the second field.

"Wow!" the Diggory siblings exclaimed once they saw the hundreds and hundreds of tents behind the fence once the mist had lifted. Some were small, some colourful, some had chimneys on top, some a front yard with small fountains. Young children were already running around the field, their parents chasing them with tired faces. A group of wizards passed the small family on their way to their own tent, speaking in foreign tongues, and Evie couldn't stop thinking about Colin and how much he would love it here.

"Almost there," Evie could hear their father say and they stopped in front of a medium-sized tent a few minutes later. As a young child, their father had taken them camping once or twice, so Evie wasn't surprised at the interior design of the tent. They stepped into a small hallway which led into a big living room, with the kitchen being right next to it. To Evie's left was a small bathroom, to her right the bedroom she'd be sharing with Cedric. Their father had already claimed the studio couch in the living room.

"I hope you don't snore," Cedric said and grinned as the siblings unloaded their bags next to their beds. Evie stuck out her tongue at him as she took off Cedric's jacket and threw it onto his bed.

"I sleep like a baby," she sang and went back into the living room to eat one of the sandwiches her father had already unpacked. "Gosh, I'm so hungry!"

The rest of the day until the match was spent either in the tent or walking around the huge field where Cedric and Evie met many of their fellow school mates. Evie noticed some of the girls making pretty eyes at her brother and she rolled hers. This was getting quite annoying. On their way back, Cedric and Evie bought some trading cards of the Irish team and three sets of Omnioculars. When Cedric wasn't looking, Evie also bought a small figure of the Irish Seeker Aidan Lynch for Colin, stuffing it into her bag before Cedric could see and ask stupid question. Once they sauntered back to their tent, their father was talking to a slender man with blondish hair, a blasé-looking boy standing right next to him. Evie recognised his face from school, though she couldn't remember his name.

"Oh, there they are," she could hear her father say once they'd approached the small group. "These are my children, Cedric and Evie. I think you recognise Ernie from school?" he added, looking at the siblings while gesturing at the boy.

Ernie shook Cedric's hand in a portentous manner and nodded at Evie. He had the same blonde hair like his father and Evie finally recognised him as Ernest Macmillan, a Hufflepuff student who was in the same year as Harry, Ron and Hermione. He was usually hanging out with Justin Finch-Fletchley and Hannah Abbott, a nice girl who'd once helped Evie with her Herbology homework when she'd almost had a breakdown in the library during her first year.

"Hi, Ernie," Evie said with a bright smile and the older boy blushed slightly before engaging Cedric in a very serious discussion about the upcoming match. He spoke in a somewhat ostentatious manner, glancing at Evie once in a while, something she didn't notice as she presented her newly bought trading cards to her father, her grey eyes shining brightly.

"Aidan Lynch looks _so_ cool!" she said, dangling Lynch's card in front of her dad's face. "I bet he'll catch the Snitch before Krum does."

"No way!" Cedric exclaimed as if Evie had said something preposterous. "You know Krum's way better than Lynch."

"Just because Krum's a better flier doesn't mean he'll catch the Snitch first."

Cedric just shrugged while Ernie observed the siblings with curiosity.

When the signal for the match finally resounded across the campsite, the small group headed towards the pitch on an illuminated path surrounded by green and red lanterns which had suddenly blazed into life in the trees. The path led into the woods and they followed the lantern-lit trail, thousands of excited voices buzzing around them. Evie clutched Cedric's hand, excitement bubbling up inside her, and Cedric grinned at his younger sister with bright eyes. They talked loudly with the Macmillans until they emerged on the other side of the wood, finding themselves in the shadow of a gigantic gilded stadium. Evie wished she could sit with Ginny and Hermione, but Mr Weasley had gotten tickets to the top box while they'd be sitting a few levels below on the other side of the stadium.

* * *

The match was nothing like Evie had ever seen before and she was still buzzing with excitement when it was all over and the crowds were flooding out of the stadium. She had linked arms with her father while Cedric, Ernie and his father were talking animatedly about the match.

"And Krum caught the Snitch, I knew it!"

"Did you hear the sound when Lynch hit the ground? Man, that must've hurt."

The hurried back to their campsite on the still lantern-lit path and enjoyed a last bottle of Butterbeer before biding each other goodnight. Evie changed into her pyjamas and slipped into the comfort of her bed while Cedric and their dad were still quietly discussing the match in the living room.

Evie must've already fallen asleep once Cedric joined her because she was suddenly awoken by a loud scream, and the sound of people running. She could make out Cedric's tousled shock of hair in the dark as he propped himself up on his elbows.

"What was that?" he asked, his voice weary, and suddenly a dim light went on and their father came rushing into their bedroom. He was fully clothed.

"Get up! Now!" he shouted and stared at his children with alarm in his eyes.

"Don't get dressed," he ordered Evie, who had reached for her clothes. "Just grab a jacket, come on; hurry!"

He ushered them out of the tent and right into the arms of the Macmillans, who looked just as tired and alarmed.

"What is going on?" Mr Macmillan asked, confused. He was clutching his wand tightly, his knuckles white. Evie was shivering in the freezing cold and Ernie hurried to her side and put his jacket on top of hers. He looked as confused and frightened as Evie felt. They could see people running towards the woods, some of them screaming, as odd flashes of light were sent across the field. Loud jeering, roars of laughter and drunken yells were drifting towards them and Evie could make out a crowd of wizards, tightly packed and moving together, marching across the field. Their faces were masked, and some of the marchers were blasting tents out of the way with their wands. They seemed to be moving towards them.

"Run into the woods," Mr Diggory ordered with a serious expression. "And whatever happens, stay together! Cedric, take care of your sister; we're going to help the Ministry."

Cedric nodded and pulled out his wand, and their father and Mr Macmillan stormed off towards the oncoming marchers. Evie let out a sob as her father left her side and buried herself deeper into Ernie's jacket. Her nightdress left her legs exposed, and she was still shivering.

"Let's go," said Cedric, grabbing Evie's hand who, in turn, reached for Ernie's hand, and they headed towards the woods which were no longer illuminated by lanterns. Dark figures were hurrying alongside the trio; children were crying; loud voices echoed through the night. Cedric clasped her hand so tightly that it almost hurt.

"What's happening?" she could hear Ernie ask behind her as they reached the woods, but they didn't stop and moved further along the darkened path. Evie felt herself being pushed against people who hurried past them, and suddenly Cedric's hand was no longer in hers. Evie screamed as someone bumped into her and she crashed hard onto the muddy ground. She sobbed, tears streaming down her face, but then Ernie was helping her get off the ground.

" _Lumos_ ," he whispered and Evie wondered if he had held onto his wand the whole time. The wand's beam illuminated the pair and Evie looked down at her skinned hands and knees, blood dripping onto her nightdress. Someone bumped into Evie again, but she held her ground this time, and Ernie put a protective arm around her.

"We've got to get moving," he said and looked back down into Evie's eyes. "Can you walk?"

Evie nodded, but the feeling that they'd lost Cedric suddenly hit her hard and she stopped dead in her tracks. Ernie looked at her, his big eyes filled with fear and concern.

"Cedric," Evie whispered and looked at Ernie with pleading eyes. "We cannot leave my brother behind."

"Evie, we must leave; Cedric will and can take care of himself, you know that."

Evie gazed through the darkness, trying to recognise someone, anybody, but then Ernie's hand closed around her bloodied one once again and pulled her along. They hurried deeper into the woods, ignoring the screams all around them, until Evie spotted a familiar shock of bright red hair in front of them and almost burst into a fresh set of tears.

"Ginny!" she yelled and the redheaded trio turned around.

"Oh my god, Evie!" Ginny ran towards her and engulfed her in a tight hug. Evie hugged her back desperately, though she didn't let go of Ernie's hand. The twins were right behind Ginny, their faces ghostly pale.

"We lost the rest of the lot," George said gravely. "Dad, Bill, Charlie and Percy went off to help the Ministry."

"Our dads, too," said Ernie, his face equally as pale. "We lost Cedric on the way, though."

Ginny looked at Evie with an odd expression, her eyes wide open.

"We've got to get moving," Fred ordered, clutching his wand. "Or else those maniacs will get to us soon."

They all nodded at one another, but before they had the chance to start moving again, a shout rang through the woods and something vast, green and glittering was suddenly bursting through the trees and high into the sky. Evie tightened her grip around Ernie's hand as she recognised the colossal skull and the serpent that was protruding from its mouth like a tongue. It rose higher and higher, and screams erupted all around them.

"It's the Dark Mark!"

"It's You-Know-Who's sign!"

"Is he _here_?!"

"Come _on_!" Fred yelled, and they began to move again. While running, Evie stared up at the Dark Mark, which was now illuminating the whole forest, a strange feeling taking control of her. This was a nightmare she would soon be waking up from – there was no way You-Know-Who could've returned after all this time.

* * *

 **Things will become quite interesting now that we've reached _GoF_ (finally). Also, some of the lines were taken from _Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire_ , mainly the conversation between Mr Weasley and Mr Diggory. **

**I'll be on a field trip to London for a week, so my next update will probably be around the beginning of May.**

 **Please read & review, guys! It means a lot :)**


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